The Decimation
by SnowFox3
Summary: [Primeval] Helen makes a reappearance, offering knowledge on the anomalies. And all she wants in return is assistance. Sounds simple enough. But the truth is stirring, and the team may not escape alive. Part one of The Faith trilogy.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N_

**Disclaimer:**Okay, I don't own anything, and I don't gain any money writing these stories. It's for fun, plain and simple.

_I realised soon after I finished the first chapter that I used spoilers (however minor) from the sixth episode of Primeval. So for this story's sake, please imagine that the sequel has already come out, Claudia is fine, Captain Ryan is still dead and Nick knows about Stephen and Helen._

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It was official. Abby Maitland was not this morning's happy person.

The sound of chirping was the thing that woke her up that morning; even though bright rays of sunlight were already making their way across her pillow, causing pinpoints of light to dance across her vision. In return she did what any other normal human early in the morning would do- promptly roll over and fall back to sleep. Then the chirping grew louder, and she felt more than heard something land on her bed. Another short chorus of chirps reverberated around her, as the pressure began moving up to her head.

Batting away the annoying sounds, or attempting to with eyes tight shut, the sleepy figure lying on the bed rolled onto her back. Unable to dispose of the constant noise, she grabbed the pillow underneath her and, in a show of early-morning spontaneous aggression she forced the pillow to impact with her head, unintelligibly muttering while doing so. Then the still-sleepy figure tried to once again, fall asleep.

It was that moment the creature chirping decided to jump on the stomach of the person on the bed. And of course, fifteen kilograms of prehistoric lizard jumping on one's stomach early in the morning is more than enough inspiration to get out of bed.

Abby groaned, throwing her pillow to the side, causing it to land on the floor.

"Right, right, I'm up," she mumbled, blinking continuously to clear her vision, and saw the blurry shape of a creature one would not normally associate with waking in the morning. "Hi Rex," she greeted, the blurriness soon fading. _Wait a second..._

Abby blinked. It took her ten seconds to jump-start her brain into gear, and when she finally did, she realised something. Abby blinked again.

"Rex, how'd you get out?" she questioned, mind starting to buzz with ideas and possibilities. Had she left Rex's enclosure open last night? Surely not. She distinctly recalled placing Rex in his enclosure, and sealing it. Maybe Connor had let Rex out. At this thought she nodded; it was quite likely that Connor had gotten up before she did.

Making her way out of her comfortable bed, she stretched, yawning, causing Rex to jump around excitedly, which made her laugh... although she felt like groaning. She _really_ hadn't wanted to get up. Somehow, some reason, she felt unlucky today. Something was going to go wrong, she was sure. Of course, most peoples job descriptions didn't involve protecting the present from prehistoric and futuristic invasion. Every time she went to work, something went wrong. However, it still didn't explain why she wanted to go back to sleep. She reached for her gown, wrapping it around her, and, taking a quick glance outside, made her way to the door. Looking back once, she chose to leave her mobile lying near her bed. Deciding to force herself to feel awake, she rushed two steps at a time down the stairs, ending in a jump at the bottom, announcing her presence to all the surroundings. Rex flew down beside her.

As her eyes automatically scanned the room, the first thing they stopped on was a note, lying on the table along with the remnants of somebody's breakfast. She walked over to the table, and became aware of Connor's messy writing as soon as she could see the words on the paper.

_Abby,_

_If you want to know where I am, I'm at the university. There are some things that I want to check on. Anyway, if you need my help, you know my number. Just remember the meeting at home office today. _

_See you there!_

_Connor_

_Oh, and Rex looked so comfy in his little house, so I left him in there. Hope you don't mind!_

Abby had stiffened before she had finished the note. Connor _hadn't_ let Rex out. So how did Rex get out?

"Nice place you've got here."

Well that wasn't good. An intruder in her house. How'd they get in? What was she supposed to do? A million thoughts raced across her mind as she began the seemingly slow pivot to eye her new guest.

"Is this a bad time?" Helen grinned, the smile looking eerie on her gaunt face. "I mean, I'd knock, but it seems I'm already inside, doesn't it?"

Abby's eyes widened imperceptibly. "Helen," she gasped. She should've brought her phone downstairs with her. Still, why'd Helen come here of all places? Why not with Nick, or with Stephen? Helen didn't even know Abby.

Abby's confusion must have showed, because Helen's grin widened. "That last time, when Stephen refused to travel with me, I saw you standing quite close to him. Call it retribution for Stephen's cutting remarks," Helen taunted.

Abby almost snarled. HowdareHelenuse her against Stephen? How _dare_ her! Abby took three steps forward and leant against the couch, watching Helen the entire time. "Well, make yourself at home," was Abby's reply through gritted teeth.

Helen's grin, if it was even possible, widened further. The smile, however, was contrasting sharply with her eyes, which were cold and harsh, seemingly like Helen had x-ray vision; seeing through everything her eyes passed over. Abby shivered. Helen's eyes were _scary_.

Breaking the silence that had crept up like a fog, Rex flew over the heads of Abby and Helen, landing on the television set and consequently posing, as if for a camera.

Abby mentally grinned. Trust Rex to break up the tension in the air. Then she frowned. How did Rex get out? It was obvious; Helen had let him out. But why?

Abby cleared her throat. "Why did you let Rex out?" she questioned, hoping that the prehistoric lizard would fly further away from Helen.

"It's not right to make ancient creatures stay around your backyard. You should know that this Coelurosauravus doesn't need frequent walks."

Abby's blue eyes narrowed. "Rex is not a dog!" she exclaimed angrily. Rex started a set of chirps, as if agreeing. Abby opened her mouth to clarify why she had kept Rex, but thought better of it. After all, Helen didn't have to know everything. Instead, Abby said, "Why are you here?"

Abby saw a first; Helen frowned. It was small, but the smile had left her face. "To be honest, I need some help. A lot of help," Helen stated.

Abby's brow lowered in confusion.

"Why me?" she asked, then elaborated. "I mean, why come to me for help when Nick is your husband?"

"Because I need to be sure of co-operation," Helen's eyes narrowed. Once again, Abby shivered. "I need to be sure of help."

"Oh," was the first thing Abby could think of. "Still, why me? What made you so sure that everyone will co-operate if you came to me?"

"Because this way I could have a hostage."

That was a scary prospect. Hundreds of thoughts raced through Abby's head, revolving around Helen kidnapping her and threatening her, while Stephen and the others were powerless to assist. All because Helen needed help. What kind of help would require so much forcefulness on Helen's part? What would Helen actually _need_ help with? Even so…

Blue eyes evenly met hazel. "I'll fight you. I swear. You won't get me without a fight."

Helen tilted her head to the side, brown hair falling over her eyes. "Who said _you_ were the hostage?"

"What?" Once again, Abby was confused. "Then who…" she trailed off, shocked.

Helen had reached behind her, grabbing something out of the shadows made by the furniture. It was a cat cage. And inside, munching on something that looked suspiciously like chocolate…

"No. You can't. Not Rex." Any and all tolerance she had of Helen had washed away in an instant. Abby was _furious_. It was fine that Helen would threaten her; she could look after herself. But Rex couldn't. Rex couldn't defend himself against Helen. And that thought both terrified and angered Abby.

"I can, and I am," was the sneering reply. "I planned this all out, you see. Make sure that other boy was out, lure this Coelurosauravus into the cage, and make sure Nick and the rest of you follow my demands."

There was a tense silence.

"And if you don't, you'll never see your little dog again."

That did it. Abby ran toward Helen, bunching her hand into a fist. She pulled her fist back, and thrust it forward with all her energy.

Helen caught it.

Breathing heavily, Abby stared into the face of…of what? A human? A betrayer?

Helen smirked.

Abby's eyes made a swift change- from furious anger to focused rage. Ripping her hand from Helen's grip, she leant backwards, twisting her body, and performed a low sweeping kick.

It was Abby's turn to smirk.

Caught by surprise, Helen released the cage that held Rex, and fell backwards. The cage fell to the ground with a thump, Rex chirping indignantly.

Falling down on hands and knees, Abby crawled over to Rex and began unlatching the lid. "Don't worry Rex. It's okay now. I'm getting you out of there." She opened the lid, and Rex flew out, chirping happily.

Once freeing Rex was out of the way, the next thought of Abby's was phoning for help. Knowing her mobile was upstairs, she pulled herself to her feet and walked over to the phone.

She picked it up, and began punching in numbers. She couldn't ring the police; Helen was technically dead. So she was ringing Stephen. But she never even got close to finishing the number. With a startled gasp, Abby toppled forward, leaving the phone dangling off the hook.

For Helen was standing behind her, a look of grim satisfaction on her face and a knife in her hand.

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TBC…

A/N

_The next chapter should be out sometime next week. Please read and review!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N_

**Disclaimer:** I don't make money from this. The only thing I own is the idea for this story.

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Claudia sighed.

She had been waiting in one of the many briefing rooms in home office for the arrival of Nick, and the rest of the team of dinosaur experts. _Dino-busters_. She would've never thought that those words were a job description, and a complicated one at that. Part of her, the childish part, was constantly excited, perhaps too much so, because of the nonstop action that had become a regular portion of her life. Nevertheless it wasn't just fun and games, that much she knew first-hand.

People died. People _died_ trying to save the public from something they knew nothing about. People died because _she_ ordered them to fight, or to protect, or to follow. Not for the first time, and probably not for the last, she cursed the job she had chosen to indulge in.

She got up, and walked to one of the windows, crossing her arms. The normal hustle and bustle of daily life made her want to scream. People just didn't get it. She wanted to yell, to tell them what was going on behind their backs. What they were missing out on and what they were ignorant of. She wanted to shake them into reality, make them see all the petty squabbles between friends, or families, or even countries were nothing, _nothing_ compared to what was out there. But she couldn't do that. Doing that would cause hysteria, because people weren't prepared to realise that their way of life could be threatened.

"You okay?"

Claudia jumped, alarmed. However, upon seeing who it was, she relaxed immediately. "You scared me," she accused.

Nick smiled and compassionate eyes looked into her brown. "Sorry. I thought you heard me."

Nick Cutter. The person she believed she had started to love. And why? Because, in his own strange, humorous way, he _cared_. He honestly, truly _cared_.

"I was just thinking," Claudia told him, going back to staring out the window.

"About what?" Cutter asked, ever curious.

"Dinosaurs."

Nick grinned and rocked back on his heels, looking like a young boy who had just gotten a candy. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Claudia mumbled an agreement noncommittally.

Nick looked at her in concern. "What's wrong?"

Claudia looked over to him. His clear, blue eyes, hiding a pain from his past, were gazing into hers, with such intensity it made her blush.

She looked down. "It's nothing."

Nick seemed uncertain, but nodded. "If you say so."

"I say so," she replied, and smiled. "Anyway, when do you think everyone will arrive here?"

"Hi Professor!" exclaimed a voice from behind them.

Cutter grimaced. "Now," was the answer. "Hello Connor." Nick and Claudia turned around, almost in sync. Connor waved at them from his position in the doorway, hands cluttered with his backpack and a lot of notes.

Connor sat down, strewing the contents of his backpack all over the table, and beckoned the Professor over. With an overdramatic sigh, Nick walked over to Connor and sat down at the table. Connor immediately started talking a mile a minute, while pointing various things out on his laptop or on his notes. Vaguely, Claudia wondered how he knew where everything was, because the whole table was covered in papers. She grinned. Poor Nick. Joining them at the table, she shuffled all the papers over to Connor's portion of space, trying to neaten the mess before anyone else arrived.

Stephen was the next to get there, holding a satchel. Nick grinned at him while simultaneously rolling his eyes and pointing to Connor. Stephen returned the grin, and then nodded to Claudia, who nodded back. Stephen chose a seat at the table next to Nick, between Nick and Claudia.

Now there were only two more people to arrive. Abby Maitland, the expert on living animals, and James Lester, her boss. She narrowed that thought down to one as she noticed Lester entering through the door, and standing with arms crossed, staring at them. Claudia got up, and walked over to him.

"Good morning, sir," she said politely.

Lester didn't spare her a glance. "Oh. Hello."

Claudia grimaced. James Lester was great at his job, there was no doubt about that, but he was _horrible_ to get along with. Perhaps that was _why_ he was good at his job. She snorted, making Lester stare at her strangely before edging away.

"Okay, let's get on with this," Lester ordered, making his way to sit at the table, away from everyone else.

"We can't start yet," Connor complained, pushing all his notes under the laptop.

"Why not?" Lester asked, annoyed.

"Abby's not here yet," was Connor's reply.

"Who?" Lester questioned.

Claudia stared at him. Did he really not know? Or was he just in a bad mood? She guessed by the stunned silence that everyone else was staring at Lester too.

"Who?" Lester persisted.

"Abby Maitland," Nick said, "The zoologist who loves lizards."

"Oh, _her_. The person with a strange clothes fashion."

"Says the person with patched ties," Nick was quick to rebut.

Claudia sighed again. The one thing worse than chasing extinct dinosaurs was separating Cutter and Lester once they started an argument. As the two continued to spout words of total and complete nonsense, Connor was gawking at them, obviously not used to seeing two mature adults fight it out… with words. Stephen was trying to disguise his amusement, but so far was unsuccessful. If Claudia was in an animation, she would probably have developed a twitch in one of her eyebrows. Two men, grown men, fighting over words, each with a dislike for the other. _Pathetic_. Even so, she couldn't help the corners of her mouth curling upwards.

Before her smirk became too noticeable, she stepped in. "Stop it now, both of you." Claudia didn't know whether to laugh at the expressions of their faces because of her intervention, or turn away in embarrassment knowing she had spoken to her boss and the person she fancied as if they were both naughty schoolchildren.

Lester composed himself, while Cutter walked back to his seat next to Stephen and Connor.

"Right," Lester stated. "Tell me when Ms Maitland gets here, so we can begin this accursed thing."

Nick waved at him. "Okay then. Bye bye!"

Lester glared at the Professor, promptly snorted and stomped off.

Cutter grinned triumphantly. "Do you reckon I won that one?" he asked Stephen, who only replied with a rueful shake of the head.

"I wonder why Abby isn't here yet. She's not usually late," Connor thought aloud.

Claudia agreed. Abby Maitland was not one to be late.

"You were the last to have seen her," Stephen said to Connor. "Do you know why she's late?"

"No," Connor said, obviously confused. "I had to leave her place early this morning because I needed to go to the University to check on something to do with the anomalies."

"Which was?" Claudia butted in this time.

"Turned out to be absolutely nothing," Connor grouched.

Stephen rummaged in his bag, and pulled out his phone. "I'm calling Abby," he stated needlessly. A silence emerged from that statement. Stephen held the mobile to one ear while drumming a finger against the table. He then hung up with annoyance. "She's not answering her mobile. I'm ringing her home."

Two seconds later he hung up yet again. "The line's busy," he said.

"I didn't know Abby gossiped," Connor realised.

"She might not be gossiping," Nick answered, irritated.

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Pain was the first thing she recognised when she returned to awareness. A pounding in her skull, as if a hoard of elephants had found their way inside her head. She opened her eyes, and closed them again when a wave of dizziness made her feel sick.

"Well that's a bad headache," she said to herself, then gasped. The words sounded loud, too loud for her now sensitive ears. She put a shaky hand to her head, and felt a wet, sticky substance. Vaguely, she realised it was blood. She tried to sit up, but was forced down again as a wave of nausea overcame her other senses. She curled into a ball, attempting to diminish the urge to throw up.

Once she was fairly certain that her guts would not be sent all over the floor, she used the table next to her to force herself up. Eyes still closed, she felt her way around, noticing at once the feel of her couch. So she was at home. But why was she on the floor, about to hurl?

It all came to her in a rush. "Helen," she whispered. Rex. Where was Rex? Desperate, she opened her eyes again, this time prepared for the swirl of colours it caused. "Rex," she called, but to no avail. She tried again, louder. "Rex!"

This action sent a spike through her head, making her curl into the fetal position, in agony. Her breaths were heavy by the time the pain lowered to a more manageable level. She re-opened her eyes, realising with surprise she hadn't been aware of closing them. The first thing she noticed was that there was a piece of paper lying next to her. Reaching out with a trembling hand, she grabbed it and brought it closer to her eyes.

She vainly tried to read the words, but they swirled together in a myriad of black, grey and white that she could not distinguish. She quickly learned that reading with a pounding head and dizzy eyes was not going to help the situation. She did recognise one word though: _Helen_. She reeled back, as another wave of nausea overcame her.

Stephen. She had to ring Stephen. There was no way she could drive like this, let alone walk to the car. So she took a deep breath, and made it to sitting position. She grabbed the phone, and stared at the numbers blankly. They were blurred, and she had to squint to make them out. Ignoring the ripple of pain caused by squinting, she punched in the numbers for Stephen's mobile, this time having no intrusion.

"_Hello, this is Wendy speaking."_

She stiffened. Had she put in the wrong number? Was Stephen's girlfriend called Wendy? She couldn't remember. But she didn't think this Wendy person was… Allison. The girlfriend's name was Allison.

"_Hello?"_

The person on the other end hung up, leaving the phone beeping, causing her head to pound more than it already was. She hung up herself, and then looked once again at the phone. _Focus_. This time she was sure she dialed the right number.

She hoped there would be an answer.

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Stephen's phone rang, piercing the silence that had been present. Stephen grabbed it, and answered.

"Hello?"

"_Stephen"_

"Abby? Where are you?" Stephen watched as Nick, Claudia and Connor tuned themselves into the conversation taking place."

"…_um, here."_

Stephen frowned. Abby was speaking in slow whispers, as if she needed time to process every word. "Are you alright?"

"_Uh…Rex!"_

"What about Rex?"

"_She took Rex!"_

"Who took Rex?"

"_She did! I told her not to, I said I'd fight her, but she took him!"_

Stephen was concerned now. Abby wasn't making any sense. He noticed Nick's questioning look, and waved him away. Nick was looking at Stephen with worry now.

"Who is she, Abby?"

"_She said she needed help. But why would she need help? She took Rex!"_

There was nothing but rambling in Abby's speech now.

"Abby, focus."

"_Rex is gone! I have to find him!"_

"Concentrate Abby! You need to concentrate." Dimly, Stephen realised how this must sound to Cutter and the surrounding group.

"_Okay…uh, she took Rex, then I woke up."_

"Keep going Abby," he encouraged.

"_Oh…I see blood. That's not good, is it?"_

"Abby! Try to focus!"

"_My head hurts. Can I sleep now? I'm tired."_

"Abby, stay with me."

There was no reply.

"Abby!"

No answer. Great. He hung up with disgust, and promptly ran out of the room. Nick, Connor and Claudia were left confused and staring at each other. Then they followed Stephen out of the room. If whatever had happened over the phone caused Stephen to have a look of undisguised worry on his face, and running out of home office briefing rooms, then it had to be bad. _Really_ bad.

They caught sight of him in the car park. He was starting his SUV up, and pulled out of the parking space before Nick and the others managed to catch up. As one, they slowed. They watched as Stephen drove the car round, making it pass them, and stopped the SUV in front of them.

"Connor, did Abby tell you if she was going out this morning?"

Baffled, Connor stared at Stephen. "No," he replied, "She should be at her house or on the way here."

"Give me the keys to her house," Stephen ordered.

"What?"

"Do you have the keys to Abby's house?"

"Yes, but-"

"Give me the keys to her house."

Connor, sensing the mounting desperation, obligingly went through his bag until he found them. He gave the keys to Stephen, who sped away.

"Just give them back to me once you're done…" Connor trailed off as tires screeched, and left three confused and concerned people in the parking lot.

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Stephen ran to the door, and unlocked it. He was stunned to find that he was trembling. He must be really worried, though he felt calm, like it hadn't sunk in yet. Maybe it had, but he hadn't yet realised. Abby. What had happened? Abby had sounded like she couldn't focus, and still had told him all he needed to know, albeit in ramblings. Someone had broken into her house, or so he assumed, stolen Rex, and hurt Abby. He clenched his fist in anger. Someone had _hurt_ Abby. For a second he paused, unwilling to take the step inside and find Abby. What if….no. He couldn't go there. He shook his head, trying to force the thoughts away, and then hurried inside Abby's house.

The last time he had been here, he realised with dismay, was when he had told Abby and Connor that Helen had started talking. And now…

The room wasn't much of a mess. There was kitchen utensils lying on the table, and one of the chairs had fallen over. That was when he noticed a distinct scent. A metallic aroma, making his nose scrunch up in distaste. _Blood_.

Stephen walked towards the smell, bracing himself for what he would see. A shape lying in a curled position, white-blonde hair sprayed out over her face. And on the ground just behind her head, a small pool of blood was glistening.

"God!" Stephen ran the last few steps, and collapsed to his knees next to the prone body. Abby's eyes were closed. Her chest, he noticed with relief, was rising up and down. Feeling for a pulse, his heart soared when he found it, strong and steady.

He grabbed his phone, and called an ambulance. Abby probably had a concussion. She probably had a relatively bad concussion, due to the fact that Abby seemed to have lost consciousness. He shifted Abby into a more comfortable position, and leant back with a sigh.

What had happened? Who had taken Rex? And why? Abby had said over the phone that the person who took Rex needed help. Help with what? And how did the person break in? Idly, he began twirling his fingers around Abby's short, soft hair.

It was some morning. Talk about bad luck. Abby shouldn't have gotten hurt. Connor should have been here. Stephen realised with shock that he was blaming Connor for what happened, because Connor lived here. Connor should've protected Abby. _Stephen_ should have been there to protect Abby.

_Whoa…_

Since when had Abby needed protecting? Since when did _he _decide that he wanted to protect Abby? With a jolt of embarrassment, he realised what he was doing. Twirling his fingers around Abby's hair. Stephen looked down, but to his pure relief, Abby hadn't yet woken up, and hadn't noticed.

Forcing himself to look away from Abby in case he did it again, his eyes caught sight of a piece of paper, lying on the floor close to Abby's hand. Leaning over, he picked it up, and scanned the contents.

_Dearest Nick,_

_I hope it's you reading this, Nick. The girl wasn't co-operating, so I took the Coelurosauravus she had been looking after. Rex, I believe his name was. If she wants him back, you, Stephen, the girl, and the other guy have to help me with something._

_I need assistance, Nick. I need help. All I want is for the four of you to help me. But since I knew you would be unwilling, I took the Coelurosauravus. _

_My conditions are simple: Meet me at the football field's anomaly in four days, with no-one else. Bring what you need (like shelters, sleeping bags and so on). I will give Rex back to the girl then._

_Know this Nick; I'm doing this because I have to. And I'm willing to tell you more about the anomalies if you come. And if you don't come, Nick, don't expect to see the Coelurosauravus again._

_Helen Cutter._

Stephen scrunched up the note in fury. _Helen._ Helen had hurt Abby. Helen had taken Rex. Helen was the one that needed help. No wonder Abby had sounded so confused when she said that Helen needed help.

His brow creased into a deep frown. _Helen_ had hurt _Abby_. Realising with shock that he was making a low growling sound, he angrily punched the ground.

Once again, Helen was causing trouble. Once again, Helen had done something for her own gain. Once again, someone else was paying the price for her deeds.

Stephen had thought nothing else would make him angrier and upset as when Helen made Nick lose trust and, perhaps, friendship in him. But now…

Stephen had an urge to show up at the football grounds just to yell at Helen. To tell her to leave all those he cared about alone. And to think, Stephen had once cared about _her._

He knew he was being irrational now, but he didn't care. Abby had been hurt. Helen was to blame. What else did he need to know? How much longer was Helen going to ruin other people's lives? Helen was supposed to be non-existent. She was thought dead for eight years, and when she comes back, what happens? People die. People get injured. Nick had lost his wife…eight years later she returns.

Nick. God. How was he supposed to explain to Nick what Helen had done? How Helen had stolen Rex, and given Abby a gash and a probable concussion. If he was getting this frustrated over this, he didn't want to imagine what Nick would go through.

With a snort of contempt, he realised just how much he was beginning to hate Helen, and her new attitude. She was supposed to be _human_. Not some wandering loner. _Human_. Helen had abandoned the human race. Helen had abandoned those she had lived with all her life. And now she was expecting everyone to respect and obey her every command? What kind of human was she?

Yeah, so he was probably overreacting. Who wouldn't? He was just sick and tired of Helen's games. He snorted again. Games. That's what this had come down to. _Games. _Helen comes through the anomaly, and expects them to play.

His attention was brought back when he felt Abby groan. He stared at her, but she did not wake. He took in the sight of a pale Abby; eyes closed, and could easily imagine Helen standing over her, smiling cruelly.

Ten minutes passed slowly for Stephen. Staring at the still, pale form in front of him was the only lifeline he could cling to, and so he held Abby's hand, trying to give some of his warmth to her cold fingers.

After what felt like an hour, Stephen heard the screams of sirens. When he could hear the paramedics making their way up the stairs, he called out desperately. He looked up as the white-clothed people ran through the door.

As the paramedics swarmed around Abby, he let go of her hand. This whole thing felt unreal, and he watched, as if in a dream, as Abby was carried carefully down the stairs. Dimly, he heard an unfamiliar voice talk to him, asking him questions. He didn't answer; he couldn't. The situation was too bizarre.

Then he blinked, and the world straightened. Listening to the man in the white coat in front of him, he managed to comprehend the words.

"Are you coming in the ambulance?"

Shaking himself from his stupor, he nodded. Full of nervous tension, he placed the scrunched up note in his pocket. Stephen followed the white shape as it jogged, and five seconds later found himself on the ambulance.

He held Abby's hand the entire journey to the hospital.

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_A/N_

_Hi everyone! Here's the next chapter as promised. I should have probably mentioned in the first chapter that there would be hints of romance. But that's as far as its going to go in this story. There are hints of Claudia/Nick, as well as Stephen/Abby and probably some Connor/Abby. There also may be hints of Nick/Helen, although nothing drastic._

_I'd like to sincerely thank __**Hedwig junior **__for reviewing and placing this story on your favourite stories list. I'd also like to thank __**Angelbach **__for putting this story on your story alert list._

_Thankyou! _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **Don't own it. Never have, never will.

_This chapter has more on Ryan, for all Captain Ryan fans._

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Nick was concerned. Very concerned.

When Stephen had driven away Claudia, Connor and himself had been left in the car park, dumbfounded. Not long after that, Claudia had gone to tell Lester what was going on. Presumably telling him something was wrong and Stephen was checking it out. Nick didn't think Claudia would tell her rude boss about Rex. Not yet anyway.

Connor had gone back up too; he didn't want to stand in the parking lot all day staring at cars. Nick guessed that Connor was sitting on a seat, and hoping news would come of Abby from Stephen, soon.

The one-sided conversation Nick had heard while Stephen was on the phone was more than enough to get him worried. Stephen desperately calling Abby's name, then running out of the room was all the reason he needed to be worried. It was the words spoken during the phone call that had made Nick tense, heart beating faster with unease. _Who took Rex? ... Abby! Focus! … Abby! _Having the same haunting words repeated over and over in his head was an easy way to make Nick beside himself with fear.

Fear for Abby. Fear for what had been done to Abby. Over the months that the group, consisting of himself, Claudia, Connor, Stephen and Abby, had been working together, they had formed a close bond with each other. Like a family. Nick wasn't about to have that taken away from him just yet.

No wonder he was scared. The last time he had had something like a family, Helen had been alive to the public, and his wife. Except for eight years, Helen had been dead to him, and to everyone she knew. After that, Nick hadn't kept in touch with any of Helen's family. He still didn't want to. Now more so than ever. How would he explain it? No. It would be best left to himself. He didn't want to cause anyone else grief because of Helen's mistakes.

And after Helen had 'died', that was it. End of family. End of having a close bond to someone, other than Stephen. But now… now he had a family again. And he didn't want to lose another member.

With shock, he realised what he was thinking. That Abby was going to die. It couldn't be that bad could it? Abby _was_ talking over the phone a couple of minutes ago.

But Nick knew that a couple of minutes could mean everything. A couple of minutes were all it took for Captain Ryan to die. A couple of minutes. Sounded like nothing, yet more than everything, especially to Nick.

It had taken Nick a while to fully get over Captain Ryan's death. Over the months they had worked together, they had formed a close companionship. It wasn't like a family, but instead a deep form of respect for the other. Captain Ryan had trusted Nick to lead his men, and, in return, Nick had trusted Captain Ryan to protect his family. In some ways, he was closer to Ryan than anyone else. It was Ryan, and only Ryan, who could understand the pain of someone's disappearance. It was Ryan whom he could trust to both lead and follow.

And he wasn't going to have that kind of relationship with someone quite like that again. But there was one thing he had gotten from Ryan: the urge to protect, to make sure no-one that he cared about got injured.

This was why he hadn't completely broken down when Ryan had died. Nick had still had a job to complete. He needed to make sure the futuristic predators wouldn't gain a foothold in the past, and wouldn't threaten any human again.

Nick did remember though, when all bat-like predators had been killed, he had collapsed in his house, overcome with grief, grief that he hadn't shared with anyone, making it all the harder.

He didn't share it with anyone in respect for the deceased Captain. Ryan had never given away anything, and Nick had admired that. Still did. No-one knew of the complete relationship between himself and Ryan. And Nick wanted it to stay that way. There had been some hints, of course, but no one fully understood the significance of the words written on Captain Ryan's gravestone.

_Captain Tom Ryan_

_1968-2006_

_Brave soldier_

_Trusting man_

_Loyal p__rotector_

While those words represented who he was, it meant more than that to Nick. Much more.

And that was why he couldn't lose anyone else. He had sworn to that gravestone, right after the funeral service, that he would be the new protector. Nick intended to keep that promise, no matter what.

A car horn broke him out of his musing. Suddenly back in the real world, he jumped to the side and narrowly dodged a car streaking down the concrete. Pretending not to hear the call of _"Idiot!"_ he began walking slowly back up towards Claudia, Connor, and a faithful chair.

When he had seen Claudia sitting next to Connor, both quiet, he managed a weak smile, which probably didn't reach his eyes. Then he walked over to both of them, and sat down.

Twenty minutes later, Cutter's phone rang, blaringly loud compared to the silence that had once been present. With nervous anticipation, Nick answered.

Nick listened as the voice on the other end told him where Abby was, and that there was _something else_ going on. Once he hung up, he turned to Claudia and Connor.

"Abby's in hospital," he said grimly.

Words were not needed, but Connor exclaimed "What!" anyway.

"Let's go," Claudia said. Almost as one, the three walked out of the building, and back into the car park. Claudia walked up to her car, and unlocked the doors. Nick hopped inside the passenger seat, and Connor went into the backseat.

The drive to the hospital was filled with silent tension, all three of them immersed within their own thoughts. The car seemed, to Nick, slow, but he knew it was because he wanted to get to the hospital, and to Abby, as soon as possible. At every single traffic light they stopped at, Nick hammered his fingers anxiously against his knee.

In his mind he envisioned what might have happened to Abby. Abby falling to the ground, becoming still as death; and a silhouette of a person emerging from behind, everything enshrouded in darkness. Unconsciously, Nick shivered. Trying to convince himself that was just his imagination was no easy task. And thus he was scared. Scared and panicking.

Before they had even parked, Nick had gotten out of the car. He ran, ignoring the protests and calls from Claudia and Connor. He had to get to Abby. He had to find out if she was alright.

When Nick arrived at the correct room number, he paused. Did he really want to find out what had happened? Wanting to make sure Abby was okay overruled the anxiousness he felt, and he entered the room. Stephen was sitting next to her bed, holding her hand, and Nick would have teased him about it had Abby not been pale and unconscious. When Stephen noticed Nick's presence, he got up, and made his way over to him.

Nick watched in confusion as Stephen's facial expression turned from worried to angry. Nick backpedaled as Stephen made his way, obviously furious, to Nick's side. Stephen reached into his pocket, and pulled out a crumpled note with red patches on it.

"Read it," Stephen told him.

"But-"

"-Read it!" Stephen hissed.

Nick obediently took the paper, and straightened it out. With growing apprehension, he read the contents. Then he reeled back, horrified.

"No…"

"Oh yes," Stephen confirmed, "You see that red substance on the paper? That's Abby's blood."

"There's got to be some mistake. Helen wouldn't do this…she wouldn't," Nick refused to believe it.

"She did."

"No… she couldn't have," Nick said, making his emotions conflict and swirl around in his already sore head.

"Helen did this!" Stephen whispered angrily.

"Helen wouldn't have hurt Abby!" Nick denied profusely.

Stephen pointed to the shape on the bed. "Look at her, Cutter. Look at her!"

Nick turned, tortured blue eyes gazing at Abby. Her own eyes were closed, and her hair splayed about her face. She looked nothing like the passionate zoo keeper he knew so well, lying there. She looked vulnerable. Because of _Helen_.

Helen had caused this.

Nick took a step back, overwhelmed. "I-I'm sorry," he gasped. He stumbled back blindly, through the door. There, he leant against the wall outside, feeling faint.

Helen. It was Helen's fault. Cutter looked at the note, still in his hand. He looked at the blood. _Abby's blood_. Helen had done this to Abby.

Helen had _hurt Abby_. And because of Helen, Abby was lying in hospital, pale and unconscious. Nick closed his eyes, seeing once again the still features of the lively Abby Maitland. Still and quiet. It didn't suit Abby. And it was Helen's fault! And why?

She needed help. Helen needed help. Nick almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. Helen, needing help? Help with what?

Nick took a deep breath, and re-opened his eyes. Like he had been taught years ago, Nick tried to retain a detachment to the thoughts running rampant through his head. _Think about it rationally_. Helen had somehow managed to get inside Abby's house. She had taken Rex. Okay, that proved she'd been desperate. She never used to like harming animals. Would she kill Rex?

No. Nick was sure, positive, that Helen wouldn't kill Rex. She wouldn't kill an animal just to get help. So that meant one thing: it was an empty threat. But would anyone else realise that? Nick was sure Helen was aware that he would figure out the hollow threat. So Helen was counting on Nick not to give her away.

In a rush of anger, he fully understood just what Helen wanted. She wanted Nick to keep the fact that it was an empty threat a secret. She wanted to have help, and she wanted Nick to stick his neck out for her. Should he call her bluff, and make the poker game of horrors finally end? Or should he keep quiet, just like Helen wanted?

He couldn't decide. On one hand, she had been…she _was_ his wife. He would be expected to be loyal to her. On the other, she had hurt a member of his new family. And according to his promise to Ryan, he was supposed to _protect _his family.

But then… if he was thinking that way, wouldn't Helen be considered a part of his family? Of necessity, this would mean that he needed to protect Helen. Or in this case, help Helen. So it came down to one simple question: did he consider Helen family?

Helen had been a part of his life for ages. Before Helen had 'died', Nick wouldn't have been able to imagine life without her. And now? Now, it was quite easy to imagine his life without her. After all, she had been missing, presumed dead, for eight _years_. And when she returns, Nick has a new life, a new family. Was it right to compare the two? Was it right to even _think_ Helen could possibly become as close as they once were, and close enough to protect along with his friends, whom she had hurt?

Helen hadn't been all that bad though. She had saved Claudia's life. _Claudia_. Claudia was different from Helen in almost every plausible way. And yet, Nick felt closer to Claudia than Helen.

So was Helen still a part of his 'family'? Should he help her? What would the cost be if he did?

The choices were simple. Help Helen, or help Claudia and the rest of the group. The decision was what was hard. Two options. It was his choice.

But could he choose one person over another? Could he?

_No_, he decided. No he couldn't. So what was he going to do?

Nick gave a groan of frustration. Why were decisions never easy?

Alright, if he didn't help, what would Helen do? Would she go back to her place in the timeline, her rightful place, or would she keep traveling through time?

The professor sighed. Helen just didn't get it. She was supposed to be on the same side as Nick, and the rest of humanity. Not be like a lone wolf. Yes, she was independent. But independent enough to make decisions that affected the entire world?

No. She didn't have that privilege. No one had that privilege.

But then, isn't that what himself, and the rest of the group were doing? Weren't they making decisions that would affect the planet? He had a sudden feeling of pity for Lester, who had to make these kinds of decisions every day.

Then he shook himself. Pitying Lester? What had the world come to?

Like a light bulb switching on, he had a sudden and brilliant idea. Lester made these kinds of decisions every single day. And if there was one thing Nick knew about Lester, it was that if Lester couldn't do something, he made it so he could. Of course, that was through politics, which Nick hated, but the point remained.

If he couldn't do anything, he should twist the problem so he _could _do something.

Then he paused. It was all well and good that he had found a way to combat the problem, but that still didn't give him an answer.

The solution came to him so fast it made him giddy with relief. If he turned the problem around, Helen had everything to lose and needed help for some unknown reason. And she needed Nick and the few others to provide that help. She was putting herself at Nick's mercy.

So Nick would help. But he would make sure everyone who wanted to come along with him knew every last detail. He nodded to himself, finally satisfied with the decision.

And then he frowned. So what if Helen needed assistance? It didn't give Helen the right to hurt Abby. Nothing gave her that right. _Nothing_.

Once again hearing Stephen's angry "Read it!" he felt a flood of guilt, far overlooking anything he had felt so far. Abby had been injured. And his wife was to blame. His _wife_!

Nick felt horrible. That's the only word he could use to explain it. He couldn't even tell if he was guilty or mad; the emotions were swirling together, spinning round in his head, seemingly inseparable.

He was interrupted from his brooding when he heard a door open. He looked up, seeing Stephen staring at him.

"Yes?" Nick said, voice feeling dry and sounding raspy.

Stephen continued to stare at him, probably just noticing how bad Nick's reaction had been. "I'm…I'm sorry," Stephen apologized, guiltily. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Nick gave a small, weak smile, although to him it felt like an accomplishment. "Don't worry about it. I'm sorry for getting angry at you."

There was an awkward silence. Then Stephen visibly brightened. "Oh, right. I came out here to tell you Abby's awake."

Nick's eyes widened imperceptibly. Abby was awake. Abby was _awake_! Suddenly he had an urge to jump around like a loony, cheering his head off. Abby can't have been hurt that badly then; because she was awake!

Stephen must have been aware of Nick's sudden rise in mood, for he beckoned Nick inside. Nick glanced sideways at Stephen once, and when Stephen nodded, he walked into the room. Claudia was standing up, one side of the hospital bed. She spared him a fleeting look. Connor was sitting on a chair on the opposite side. Briefly, Nick wondered how Connor and Claudia had arrived without him realising, but remembered how focused he was on his thoughts.

Of course he hadn't noticed them arrive.

And sitting upright, propped up by pillows, was Abby. She smiled at him, the same cheeky, happy smile she always had, and Nick relaxed. Abby was going to be fine.

"Hey," Nick said, softly, moving to stand at the end of her bed.

He was delighted when she replied. "Hi," she said.

"Are you feeling alright?" he mentally berated himself for the clichéd question.

Abby paused, obviously looking for something to say. "My head's a bit sore. And I…I don't remember much."

"What do you remember?" The guilt Nick had been feeling came back. If Abby knew that Helen had been the person who…

"Nothing," Abby looked down, "But the doctor told me that I had a pretty bad concussion, and my memory should return sometime in the next couple of days."

"That's good," he croaked.

Abby looked at him directly. "Something happened, didn't it?"

Nick's throat went dry. He opened his mouth, and then closed it again. What could you say to something like that? Unable to verbally reply, he nodded.

"What?"

Claudia glanced at Nick, and he realised that both her and Connor had no idea what had happened, either. Nick focused his gaze on Abby's face. She looked both apprehensive and eager. No wonder. If Nick found himself in a hospital bed he would want to know how he got there too. But what would he reply with? What _could_ he reply with?

Nick cleared his throat. "Uh…you sure you want to know?" he was still unwilling to tell Abby. Abby nodded, and this time Nick was incapable of reading the emotions on her face. He braced himself, though for what he wasn't sure.

"The… the person who did this to you left a note. Should I read it out?" Once again, Abby nodded. He continued, "The note says_… Dearest Nick… I hope it's you reading this, Nick. The girl wasn't co-operating, so I took the Coelurosauravus she had been looking after. Rex, I believe his name was_." Nick paused, letting the words sink in. Abby's eyes were wide with anger, and Connor looked thoughtful, rapidly processing the information Nick had read out. Desperate for some support, he glanced at Claudia, who was frowning deeply.

He took a deep breath, and continued. "_ … If she wants him back, you, Stephen, the girl, and the other guy have to help me with something. I need assistance, Nick. I need help. All I want is for the four of you to help me. But since I knew you would be unwilling, I took the Coelurosauravus_-"

"-Wait," Connor said, "She needs four of us to help her? Which people? And why?"

Abby shushed him, staring at Nick with intensity. Nick was uncertain, but kept going.

"… _My conditions are simple: Meet me at the football field's anomaly in four days, with no-one else. Bring what you need (like shelters, sleeping bags and so on)_.

"_I will give Rex back to the girl then. Know this Nick; I'm doing this because I have to. And I'm willing to tell you more about the anomalies if you come. And if you don't come, Nick, don't expect to see the Coelurosauravus again_," He paused, trying to prolong the inevitable, then added, barely whispering, "The note is from Helen."

His last words didn't cause quite the uproar he was expecting. Stephen was seething. Connor had a scowl on his face. Claudia nodded to herself, and Nick realised she must have guessed who the note was from. And Abby…

Abby's eyes were cold. "So Helen…"

"Yes," Nick confirmed.

"And she…"

"Yes."

Abby swiveled her eyes away from Nick's. Her hands, which had before rested in a relaxed position on either side of her body, were clenched into tight fists.

Nick felt another rush of guilt, deep and bone-wrenching. "I'm s-sorry for what…for what Helen did," he uttered.

Abby looked up at him, eyes hinting compassion, though still angry. "It's not your fault."

Nick only shook his head in despair. "I should've-"

"Should've what? Been there? There was nothing you could have done," Abby stated, voice rising slightly. "Don't blame yourself."

Nick lowered his gaze to meet the floor, and made no more comments.

An awkward silence enshrouded the room. Unwilling to break the silence, Nick stayed quiet. Time seemed to slow, and noises from outside became deafening.

Until Connor spoke up. "If Helen needs help, why is she asking for us?"

Nick shrugged. He didn't know.

"Well, she said she wanted 'all four of you' to help. But there are five of us. So what does she mean?"

Nick opened his mouth, but Stephen beat him to the punch. "She means that she only wants four of us to accompany her."

Nick looked up again. "Helen said that she wants four of us to be there, no-one else. She also says that she wants me, Stephen, 'the girl and the other guy' to come with her. I think she means Abby and Connor. But I don't think Abby should-"

Abby glared at him. "-She has Rex. I'm going."

The firmness in her voice was more than enough to end that complaint.

"Well, you only have to go if you want to. I'm not going to force you. And I'm going regardless," Nick added.

That simple statement sent everyone into incredulousness. Stephen glared at him, as if to say _'What! She hurt Abby! What are you doing?'_, then reverted his gaze. Connor and Abby were staring at him in shock. Claudia was smiling ruefully.

"I knew you'd say that," she said. And then her eyes hardened. "But you can't do it. You can't just leave. You know that."

Nick nodded, and a small smirk rose on his face. "And if I convince Lester to let me leave I can, can't I?"

Claudia's face became the perfect picture of confusion. "Lester? You'd tell my boss? You'd tell my boss about what happened to Abby? About what happened to Rex?"

Nick shook his head. "No, I won't tell Lester about Rex, but I will say that Helen's willing to instruct us on the anomalies if we come."

Stephen smirked, and whispered, "Sneaky!" under his breath. Nick nodded and returned the smile.

Then Connor glanced at Abby. "I'm coming," he decided. Abby smiled at him.

Stephen looked at Nick. "If you're going, Cutter, then I am."

Nick felt a surge of relief. Stephen was still willing to stand beside him. "Alright then. It's decided."

Claudia opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment a white-clad person, a doctor, Nick guessed, entered the room, gaining the attention of everyone present. "Okay, this lady needs her rest. Visiting time's over."

Stephen glanced at Abby. "Can I stay with her?"

Abby looked at Stephen gratefully, and Nick realised with a pang she probably didn't want to be left alone. No wonder. Who would want to be left alone? Especially after what had happened and what she had heard? But the doctor replied with a very firm, "No."

Abby looked down, and said, "That's okay."

With another pang, Nick fully grasped Abby's plight. She didn't want to be left alone, because of what had happened. Yet, she still wanted to be independent. She didn't want to have to cling to another person. Now, Nick cursed Helen with every word he could. This was Helen's fault.

The doctor spoke again. "Please let my patient rest," beckoning to the door all the while.

Claudia inclined her head. Softly, she whispered a "See you," to Abby, then walked out of the room. Connor waved at Abby, who gained some semblance of a smile. Then Connor, in his natural exuberance, called, "I'll be back tomorrow," making Abby wince slightly.

Stephen leant towards Abby's ear, and whispered something Nick couldn't make out. Whatever it was, when Stephen had finished, Abby had a slight blush on her cheeks and moved her head up and down enthusiastically, albeit slower than normal. Stephen walked towards Connor, and pushed him out of the room, then followed.

Nick made his way towards Abby's side. He took her in: still pale, though with some colour, and a white bandage on the back of her head. _Helen's doing_.

Determined, Nick's eyes met Abby's. "I'll make sure we get Rex back. I promise," he said.

Abby smiled weakly. "Thank you."

Nick turned, and went through the door, faintly hearing the doctor's confused, "Is Rex your dog?"

He caught up to Stephen, and then stopped. He'd have to convince _Lester_ to let him go with _Helen_. What a mess. He, Nick, would have to negotiate with _Lester_.

Higher beings must have a strange sense of humour.

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TBC…

_A/N_

_I'd like to thank __**Hedwig junior**__ and __**Eeyore16 **__for reviewing the previous chapter. Also, thanks to __**Angelbach**__ and __**spikesgal2000 **__for putting this story on your story alert list. I'm glad people like my story._

_I apologise for the late update. I've been pretty busy. And I hate excuses too, so I'll do my best to get the next chapter out sooner._

_Please review. It makes my insides all tingly with happiness._


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N_

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Primeval. If I did, I'd be rich. Ha. Me rich. That's funny.

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Connor grinned. Abby was finally allowed to go home. _Finally!_

Abby had only spent one night in hospital, but that was more than enough for Connor. Since he was the only human living in her house, albeit only for a night, he was tasked to feeding all animals that were under Abby's care. And that meant snakes. Reliving the irrational fear he felt of those slimy, wriggly creatures, he twitched nervously.

Even though all he had to do was give them food, it was still too much. He had seen Abby feed them before, and she seemed to enjoy it. She loved reptiles, and he had no idea why. It was quite irritating to him. He couldn't understand her at all.

Of course, being honest, he couldn't understand any person of the opposite gender. Not that he hadn't tried. Well, technically, Abby had taken pity on him and had given him a crash course, but he had still tried. Sort of.

Right now he was sitting on the hospital bed, watching while the doctor poked and prodded the back of Abby's head in never before seen, probably confidential, ways. Or maybe there was a conspiracy with the way doctors handled their patients. Chances were that something along these lines had happened before. Connor grinned to himself, noting to do research on the subject at a later date. If it was true, he would need to try to reveal it to the public.

He shook himself, composing quickly, as Abby got up off the bed with as much vigor as normal. More of a bounce off the bed, really. Connor realised that Abby was as happy to get out of the place as he was to have her back.

Abby walked over to him. He glanced at her, grinned one of those Connor-grins, and hopped off the white hospital bed. Then, together, they walked out of the white room, into the white halls.

Abby made a sound somewhat similar to a cheer when the lift they were in opened and they reached the car park. Connor turned to her. "Happy?"

Abby grinned, closing her eyes in glee. "Yep."

Connor couldn't help it; he smiled. Abby being joyful was contagious. Unfortunately for him, he forgot he was still moving and subsequently lost his balance. And thus, Abby opened her eyes to see nobody next to her. Connor saw her turn, confused, then burst out laughing._ At least I was of some amusement_. It suddenly seemed like ages ago when Abby had called Stephen. Involuntarily, he shivered.

That had probably been the scariest thing he had ever been witness to. Dinosaurs were one thing, but when Abby had rung he couldn't do _anything_. He had just sat there, listening dimly to Stephen's desperate cries of _'Abby!'_

And, at the hospital, passing Nick, whose face was whiter than a ghost, he could only think _'What's wrong with Abby?' _Even when Nick's wife had mysteriously returned into his life, Nick had never looked like that. Not once. So, to Connor, there was something seriously wrong.

He had gotten his answer when the Professor had read out the note. _Helen_, Nick's _wife_, had done that to Abby. Someone Nick had loved, or still did love had hurt Abby. It was insane! Crazy! And there was the tiny fact of Helen stealing Rex. He briefly felt a rush of anger towards Helen on Abby's behalf. She had stolen a defenseless prehistoric lizard!

Abby bent down towards Connor's figure. "Hello? Anyone there?"

Connor blinked. It took him a second to realise that he was still on the floor. He blushed a shade of light pink, then hauled himself up. He decided to not mention anything to Abby- things were bad enough as they were.

He quickened his pace, and soon arrived at his, well Abby's, car. He unlocked the doors and opened the door, his peripheral vision spotting Abby doing the same on the opposite side of the car. He ducked under the roof of the car, and hopped in, closing the door behind him.

Once Abby had closed her door with a soft _bang_ that echoed around the parking lot, Connor turned on the ignition, enjoying the sudden hum of the car as it sputtered into life. Boy, he loved cars. They could transport him places. Great stuff! Connor reckoned cars were the best invention, ever. Not counting governments, of course. Well, really, Connor hated governments, but he loved the opportunities they presented. Conspiracies!

Naturally, thinking about conspiracies led him to thinking about the one he was part of. A gang of dino-busters! That's what they were!

Had he realised that another of their little group had thought that exact same thing only yesterday morning, he would have yelled in glee. Had he realised that the person who had thought that _was a government official_, he probably would have fainted with shock.

Alas, he hadn't known. So he was left thinking about the joys of being in something similar to a detective gang. Just like Scooby-Doo! He had always wanted to be in a detective gang. Only this, the conspiracy he was involved in, far exceeded any of his prior daydreams.

It was an anomaly, an earthquake through time, allowing creatures of all eras to explore the past, present and future. Very cool, yet very scary. Connor grinned. He probably had the best job in the world, and he hadn't even graduated college!

The journey to Abby's house was silent, both people too deeply immersed in their own thoughts to talk. Connor was still aware of Abby, though, and he noticed, during the last couple of minutes of the car ride, that Abby was becoming increasingly slouched in her chair. By the time Connor had pulled into the reserved parking space for Abby's car, she was seemingly asleep.

She was facing away from him, curled up against the window with her head down, making white-blonde hair hang, just touching her knees. He unbuckled his seatbelt, letting himself slide out of the car. He let his left hand stroke the car as he walked over to Abby's side. He tried not to wake Abby as he gently prized open the door. Clumsily, he fell to his knees and caught Abby as she began to slip off the chair. Which was natural, he realised, if she had been leaning against the window. He peered closely at her.

She wasn't asleep. Her eyes were half-closed, and her face was slowly becoming pale. But she wasn't asleep. Unfortunately, she didn't look like she wanted to move anytime soon. Connor realised with embarrassment that if he couldn't get Abby out of the car, chances were that he would have to carry her inside.

He nudged her shoulder. "Abby," he whispered. "Abby." Abby glanced up at him, obviously bleary, with glazed eyes. "We're home, Abby," he said.

Abby swallowed. "Already?" she asked, throat sounding dry.

Connor nodded. "Come on," he said.

Abby looked up at him once, then as if deciding it was too much effort, she let her head drop. "Don't wanna. Tired."

Connor was beginning to feel desperate. Abby _had_ to get up. "Come on, Abby. Please."

Abby glanced at him again, and this time he noticed the stark weariness in her eyes. "Why? I don't wanna."

"_Please_, Abby," he implored.

Abby finally relented. "Fine. Meany." She hauled herself up, with Connor's help, and they made their way slowly towards the door. Connor grabbed the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door.

As he opened the door, he placed his hand on the square of her back and led her inside. Abby stumbled in, her feet seeming to drag across the floor. _Boy_, Connor thought while watching her, _she must be tired._

They walked up the stairs, Abby in front, Connor behind. As they arrived at another door, this time a sliding one, Abby paused. She reached out a hand, and Connor noticed with worry that she was trembling. She grasped the handle feebly, trying to open it. No matter how hard she tugged, she was unable to slide the door open. She had just reached a point where she looked like she was going to cry when Connor decided to take over.

"Here," he said, "Let me."

Abby moved out of the way, and Connor slid open the door with relative ease. Abby glanced at him, surprised; Connor shrugged. He beckoned her inside, and she walked in. To Connor's relief, her first steps inside were towards her bed.

His eyes followed her as she made her way up yet another set of stairs, towards her bedroom. She called to him. "I'm going to lie down for a bit."

He replied with, "Okay." He was glad that she had decided to sleep; it was quite obvious that she was exhausted. He knew that concussions involved requiring more sleep, and so he didn't have any complaints with her lying down.

Knowing that Abby would be fine for a while at least, he headed towards the kitchen to get himself some snacks. He found a pack of chips, and took that out to the couch. Plopping the packet on the lounge, he crouched beside the TV to set up his PlayStation. Then he paused.

This was close, _too _close, to where Abby had been hit. The previous night he had cleaned up the pool of glistening blood, which had stained the polished floor. He could still see a faint outline of a deep maroon, which didn't match the floor's original colour. Suddenly, he had to resist the urge to throw up. Abby had lain there, and her head had been oozing out a bright red liquid. For Connor, seeing that dark stain was more than enough to prove that it had really happened. It wasn't just that though; he could smell it; there was a metallic scent in his nostrils, which made him decidedly nauseous.

He closed his eyes, and breathed out through his mouth. The scent was old; but it never faded in someone's memory. It wasn't really there; it was just his mind. Or so he hoped. Connor opened his eyes again, and placed his favourite game in the console. Hopefully, it would make him feel better. He spun around and walked back to the couch, turning on the television while doing so.

Satisfied, he began to play, relishing the feel of being in control of something. With one hand, he ripped open the chip packet and began placing chip after chip into his mouth.

He lost all memory; he was too focused on his game. This, for him, right now, was a huge relief. Finally, he had nothing to worry about except whether he could win his game. Subconsciously, he felt himself relax, and was grateful. However, something was wrong. Something wasn't there. If he could just remember what it was…

Then he figured out what was missing. "Rex!" he called, "Come here!" Surprised when the lizard didn't reply, he looked around, his eyes drawn at once to the maroon stain on the floor.

It was only then he realised his mistake.

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To Lester's irritation, the pile of papers on his desk wouldn't disappear no matter how hard he glared at them. If only he could somehow _zap_ them out the window. He sighed, and then punched the pile of papers. They didn't flinch. He punched them again. And again. And _again_. Sadly, it didn't make any difference. The pile of papers remained unscathed, lying in front of him on his desk. There was nothing he could do. They would survive.

So, instead, he grabbed his pen, which had fallen on the ground, and started rapidly signing the documents, not bothering to read them. He could do that later; any that he didn't approve of he could throw in the bin. While he was signing, he daydreamed, ignoring the rapidly approaching sunset outside the window, which was casting dark yet colourful shadows across his office, creeping slowly forward. He couldn't wait to go home and see his family. He just couldn't wait. Unfortunately, he had to.

He continued signing frantically, unaware of a shadow mingling with the spreading shadows from the beginning of the night. He was unaware, also, of that particular shadow making his way towards the centre of the room. Coincidentally, the centre of the room was where the desk was positioned. He finally realised someone was present when a _shhhh_ sound echoed softly around the room, signaling the sudden occupation of the chair on the other side of his desk.

Without looking up, he spoke in the condescending voice he always had while at work. "Place any and all papers on the desk, preferably in alphabetical order, leave this room and get me a cup of coffee," Lester said with the ease of long practice.

There was a lull, a period in which nothing sounded or moved. And this period Lester didn't much appreciate. He spoke again, this time switching to his leave-me-alone-or-I'll-get-you-chucked-into-the-loony-bin voice. "What do you want?"

"Can I come in?" A voice questioned happily.

Lester halted his frantic hand movements and glanced up, momentarily speechless. What the hell was Cutter doing in his office? In _his office_? "What do you want?" he repeated, hoping frantically that he was having a nightmare. A split second later, he hoped frantically that he _wasn't _having a nightmare; after all, if he was, it meant that his subconscious mind could find nothing better to dream about than to dream about Professor Cutter.

"I want to talk to you about Helen," was the reply.

"What about Helen? I'm not hiding her in my desk drawer, if that's what you wanted to know," he stated, now hoping that he had turned insane, something that would explain the presence of the person on his evil-people list. On second thought, being insane was probably worse. "Can you leave now?"

To Lester's disgust, Cutter didn't leave. Instead, Cutter said, "Helen offered us knowledge on the anomalies if Abby, Connor, Stephen and I go with her to help her with something."

Now a small portion of Lester's mind registered interest, but he relentlessly squished it. He didn't want any interest. To his anger, the interest returned. Once again he stepped on it. And it returned. So he mentally cornered it. It came back. This time, he led the interest, chained, towards a corner of his mind labeled _unimportant_. And this time, the interest smashed the jail bars and swirled to the forefront of his mind. By now, Lester felt like shouting- but he held it back. Politicians have an example to uphold, after all. Instead of forcing it back again, Lester spoke. "And?"

Nick looked at Lester in the eye, and not for the first time Lester could see the guilty hope in his eyes. Lester sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately, especially when it involved dinosaurs and Cutter. "Let me guess," Lester spoke, "You want me to grant you permission to go on a holiday with your wife without having to take sides."

"Colourful, but surprisingly accurate," Nick quoted.

In his mind, Lester let loose a flurry of kicks. _How dare you use my words against me! I'm a bloody politician! That's __**my**__ job! _Trying not to betray his ruffled interior, he replied with, "My own words. Never knew you listened to me that well."

"Some things stick out. Some don't. What's your role in this world again? Sorry, I've forgotten. I've just been so _busy_."

Lester felt a brief and unwelcome flash of appreciation for Nick's rebuttal. It sounded like something Lester himself would say. Then he realised what that would mean. He and Nick had something in common. That was _not_ true. _Not true_ at all. He would rather douse himself in cold water than have to admit a similarity with his long-time foe. So that's what he did. Simple as that.

To Cutter's obvious astonishment, Lester reached over to a glass of water lying on the desk and turned it upside down while it was above his head. This resulted in water pouring down Lester's front, and all over the papers he had been signing. Lester found a moment of triumph; he had finally beaten the papers. And he had proven that Nick and Lester had nothing in common. Pretty good for a day's work. He put the glass down gently. Then he checked his watch, suddenly reminded that he _was_ at work, and he could go home whenever he wanted, after another two minutes or so.

Lester looked up. Nick was still gawking at him. "What?" he said irritably. Nick didn't reply, only continued gawking. "Oh. That's right. You want permission to go? I'll allow your fact-finding mission if you stop staring at me like I'm a baboon's backside, and get the bloody hell out of my office."

Nick blinked, nodded, and walked out. _Huh._ That was easier than Lester had thought it would be. And that was a good thing. A very good thing. Suddenly forgetting about Cutter, Lester looked down at the papers a final time. "Nice knowing you," he whispered, and then threw the whole lot in the bin.

It was time to go home. But first, he had to change his shirt.

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_Four days later_

Stephen didn't know what to think. They had finally arrived at the football field's anomaly, or where it had been. The anomaly hadn't reappeared yet. And all four people mentioned on the note were there.

Turning, he watched Nick on talking frantically on the phone, most likely having another conversation with Claudia. Stephen gave a rueful shake of the head. If there was one person who hated this 'fact-finding mission' more than Lester, it was Claudia. She wasn't going with them; they had decided the previous week that only the people mentioned on the note should go. At that point in time, she put on her poker-face, not giving anything away. Even so, everyone at the group meeting could tell that Claudia wasn't happy by the way she slightly narrowed her eyes, making her eyes deepen in colour.

The day after the meeting, Nick had told Stephen that Claudia had confronted him before leaving. According to Nick, Claudia had said that she didn't know what to think. Yes, she was upset at being left out. Yes, she wanted to be with the group instead of sitting in her office and signing documents. But she understood that the mission- or the success of the mission- depended on following the instructions that Helen had given them in the note.

Thinking about the note brought up memories he would rather forget. Abby's introductory meeting with Helen wasn't really what Stephen had in mind. After all, Helen had knocked Abby out. And Helen had taken Rex.

Poor Abby. Stephen knew how much Rex meant to her. Rex was her favourite lizard. Why? He didn't know. Perhaps because Rex was supposed to be extinct. Or maybe because Rex was just the lizard she had made a connection with the most. Rex did like to have conversations a lot. Stephen knew that from experience. Every single day after Abby had been released from the hospital he had been over to her place, or calling her. He had no idea why; he just had to check up on her. Maybe to repay the debt he owed her; she had stayed by his side the whole time while he had been in hospital. Connor had told Stephen that. Connor had also told Stephen that Abby had been holding his hand, murmuring words that were of no value, trying vainly to keep him alive. Stephen was more than grateful for this.

Lately, though, Abby hadn't been her ordinary self. She had been moping, brooding, and ignoring everybody's attempts to talk to her. Stephen recalled the night he had a phone call from Connor, telling him that Connor was going out and Connor wanted Stephen to go to Abby's place and stay the night to make sure Abby would be okay.

_Flashback_

_Stephen walked through the lower levels of Abby's house, exploring the rooms. Connor had just left, and Abby was asleep. Stephen peered at the two snakes that were in enclosures, suddenly desperately glad to have glass separating himself from the snake. He heard the snake hiss, and he looked away._

_He walked over to the couch, touching the phone and then tracing his fingers over the spot where Abby's blood had been seeping out. He could see a stain left on the polished wood floor, the almost-maroon stain looking highly out of place on the brown wood. It was hard to believe, for him, that Abby had laid there, eyes closed, not moving except for the slow rise and fall of her chest. The whole situation had seemed unreal to him while he was _there_, so it wasn't surprising that he couldn't imagine the situation now._

_He could still smell the blood, though. And the smell of the blood was consistently reminding him that the whole thing _had_ happened, the whole thing was real. The blood dove into his senses, wiping out any thoughts, the sickly smell of metallic liquid all he could fathom. He could taste it. And then he blinked, and he was back into the real world with the maroon stain and the smell of blood growing fainter until he could no longer distinguish it between the other smells inside Abby's house._

_He was brought out of his musing when he heard a scream, loud and piercing, scaring him half to death. For a second he thought that Helen was back, because the scream had sounded like Abby. Then he realised that Abby had been asleep; she must've had a nightmare. He ran to the stairs and rushed up them three at a time, desperate to get to Abby to see if she was okay._

_When he got to Abby's room, he saw her silently sobbing into her hands. She was crouched on her bed, her pillow on her knees, and her whole body was trembling. As he walked inside, he saw Abby look up and hastily wipe her tears away, trying to look like nothing had happened._

_He glanced at her tear streaked face, hoping she'd let him in enough to help her. She did. She moved up slightly on the bed, giving him room to sit down, and started sobbing again, although this time softer and more controlled._

"_I-I had a nightmare," she whispered through her hands covering her face._

"_I know," Stephen replied, concerned. "What happened?"_

_To his dismay, the question made her cry harder. He walked over to her bed and sat down at the edge. Then he placed an awkward hand around her shoulder. "Hey," he whispered, "It's alright. You don't have to tell me."_

_Abby leaned into his arm, still sobbing, and Stephen gradually felt his shirt dampen. She shook harder, and to compensate he wrapped his other arm around her, trying not to think about how perfectly they fit together. After a few seconds, she glanced up at him. "I want to t-tell you," she said determinedly._

_He ran his hand through her hair, coming to an abrupt halt just before the stitches, wondering idly if the bump she had gained was still painful. It probably was. "You don't have to if you don't want to."_

_She nodded resolutely. "I know. But I want to tell you."_

"_Okay. What happened in the nightmare?" He hoped it was nothing too horrible; he didn't want Abby to have to go through anything too horrible, especially where Helen was involved. It was probably the confrontation with Helen that had caused the nightmare in the first place. And Stephen had thought he had enough to yell at Helen for._

"_In my dream, uh, Helen was back. But then she took Rex again. Into some…some black place. Like shadows. A shadowy place. Somewhere I couldn't follow. And Rex was calling to me. He was calling…" she broke off._

_Stephen let her put her arms around him as she started sobbing again. After she had calmed down sufficiently he asked, "What happened after that?" _

_She turned away from him. "Then she came back. She had Rex, and she had you. You were there. Then she said that she would kill you if I didn't go to that shadowy place. But I couldn't. I couldn't. It was gone. It wasn't there. She killed you…" Abby broke off again with a cry. _

_Stephen was shocked. No. Shocked was an understatement. Abby had gotten this upset because Helen had killed him. Helen had killed Stephen in front of Abby. God. Poor Abby. To dream about death like that. _That meant she must've dreamed about you_, a small part of his mind whispered, which he tried to completely ignore._

"_It wasn't real," he told Abby, doing his best to comfort her. "I'm not dead. I'm right here, Abby. I'm right here."_

_Abby nodded bravely, and then let out a small keening wail. "But Rex is gone. She took Rex. I couldn't protect Rex. I'm horrible."_

_Stephen was feeling decidedly awkward now. "It wasn't your fault Abby. It wasn't your fault."_

_This time, however, Abby shook her head. "What good am I if I can't even protect an extinct species?"_

_Stephen's eyes widened. This was the first time she had actually acknowledged the fact that Rex the Coelurosauravus wasn't from their time. And she had sounded so upset, so guilt ridden all that he could do was pull her closer to him and whisper, "You'll get Rex back. You'll see. I swear to you. You'll get Rex back."_

_After Abby had released all her tears, she fell asleep on Stephen's lap. And Stephen, unwilling to wake her, laid his head on her pillow, still holding her close. Another five minutes past, and nothing moved. They were both sound asleep, clinging to each other as though their life depended on it._

_End Flashback _

After that, Abby had reverted back to her ordinary self, laughing and joking around. He had still caught her on occasion, though, touching the material that had covered Rex's cage with reverence. And the first time she had seen the stain on the floor, she had turned and fled to her room, where she had sat staring at the window for ages before returning back downstairs to eat breakfast. They hadn't talked about that night; all that needed to be said had been said.

He was broken out of his thoughts when Abby walked up to him, face gleaming, with no sign of the pale, scared and lost woman anywhere on her pretty features. On her back she had a pack, full of clothes and all other items she would need. His pack was on the ground next to his feet.

"Hey Stephen," she greeted him.

He smiled at her. "Hey Abby."

They stood in silence for a while, before Connor and Nick made their way to them. Nick had obviously just got off the phone. He was looking hassled and irritated, and said to them when he reached them, "That's Claudia's second phone call just this morning." Stephen grinned. Talk about devotion. Claudia did seem to really like Nick. Stephen didn't think she'd get this worried otherwise.

Nick continued, "She said that she has a bad feeling about this."

"Why," Connor questioned, confused. "This'll be a piece of cake. A chocolate cake with chocolate sprinkles and cream on top. No cherries. I hate cherries."

Stephen inwardly smirked. Outwardly, he shook his head slowly. Connor stared at him, even more confused. "What?" he asked.

Abby gave a very un-lady like snort. "Nothing," she replied. Stephen made eye contact with Nick, and they both grinned.

"What?" A new voice questioned.

Stephen, recognizing the voice, looked at Abby. She had gone completely white, but she quickly composed herself and turned to face Helen. "Hi Helen," she greeted boldly. Stephen felt a flash of pride for Abby's resolve and resilience.

"Helen," was Nick's greeting.

"Hi Mrs. Cutter!" Connor exclaimed, normal exuberance. Stephen whacked him over the head, to which Connor responded with a "Hey!"

Stephen's greeting was a curt nod in her direction, eyes flaming with distrust and distaste. Helen was aware of this, and pointed to her left. "Should we begin?" her question was more like a statement. No answers were needed.

Stephen picked up his pack and placed it on his back. Then he led the way behind Helen as the small group made their way to another section of the huge football grandstand.

When Helen finally stopped, it was in front of another metal door. Stephen looked at Helen, and she nodded. Nick and Stephen prized open the door. This time, it was the pack that saved Connor from the flying metal utensils.

When the door had fully opened and all metal objects had ceased their flight, Helen walked through the anomaly, beckoning them to follow. Stephen looked at the group, first Nick, then Abby, then Connor, silently asking permission to be in the lead. When he got nods from the first two and a confused "Huh?" from the third he turned and walked through the shimmering diamond of crystals, knowing that the others would be right behind him.

He walked into a tropical paradise. Helen grinned at his astounded face.

"Welcome to the Tethys Sea."

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_A/N_

_Two words: Extraordinarily busy. Three words: I'm soooo sorry! I honestly didn't mean to leave it this long. Whoops. Anyways, I hope I got Abby's personality right this chapter. The flashback was hard to write. Did I get Abby's personality right?_

_I've got a lot of people to thank this chapter. First of all, thankyou must be said to __**Hedwig junior, **__**Eeyore16**__ and __**weezer42 **__for reviewing Chapter 3. I am grateful when people review. It makes me happy. Thankyou to my friend, __**M64**_ _who read this story at my urging and subsequently got hooked onto Primeval. Primeval now has another fan ladies and gentlemen. Another fan, I say!_

_Special thanks must be said to __**emb22**__. I asked him to look at my story and nitpick it, and I think he's doing a fantastic job so far. He reviewed all three chapters. He hasn't even watched Primeval, so thankyou!!!_

_Thankyou __**weezer42 **__and __**Hedwig junior **__for adding this story onto your favourite stories list. You have no idea how happy it makes me feel to know that people are enjoying my story that much. Thankyou, also, to __**Angelbach, **__**Hedwig junior,**__** emb22,**__** jeps, **__**spikesgal2000 **__and __**weezer42 **__for adding this story onto your story alert list._

_He he. A lot of people to thank today. Probably 'cos I left this story for so long. I probably won't be able to finish another chapter within a short period of time, so feel free to get annoyed at me for taking so long between updates._

_Oh, and on another note, I wrote two more stories (a one-shot and a to-be-long one) while I was trying to find the inspiration to finish writing this chapter. So if anyone wants to look at them, feel free._

_Please, __**please**__ review. It gives me inspiration to write faster… _;)


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Primeval. I own a pencil case, though.

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As she was passing through the anomaly, Abby was privy to a strange, unusual tingling sensation that left her momentarily breathless. She hadn't actually gone through an anomaly before, so the experience was something welcome. Then a small shift occurred, feeling to Abby like a car turning a corner or something similar.

And then she was breathing air that felt fresh and moist against her face. She kept walking, stopping near Stephen and glancing upward slowly.

It was beautiful. Trees that looked similar to palm trees were littered around a huge coastal inlet. The water shone a crystal-blue, so clear that she could see the unusual marine creatures swimming around just under the surface. The sand was a pure white, and to Abby the place reminded her of a seaside resort. She couldn't explain it; it was incredible. And the nicest place she had ever been- which was saying something.

She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't find any words to describe it. She closed her mouth again, turning around when she heard more people come through the anomaly. She looked at Stephen.

"Exotic," Stephen whispered to her.

Her eyes gleamed. "To say the least," she whispered back. She glanced at the landscape again, drinking in the sight greedily, awestruck at the magnificence it presented. Behind her, she heard rather than saw Connor's reaction. "Wicked!"

She also heard a brief intake of breath coming from Nick. Abby glanced at him; he had his mouth open in a gape that she would've liked to capture on camera. But he had good reason to gape; the sight before them was extraordinary.

Abby glanced around at them all, watching their expressions with interest, before stopping when a rather abrupt and fearful jolt broke her out of her thoughts. She blinked. She was staring at Helen. Another fearful jolt came over her, bringing her back to the nightmares she had been having. She'd had a nightmare every night since Helen had taken Rex. The first one, while she was at the hospital, had been the least scary, and that was saying something.

She had been enshrouded in a shadowy world, not being able to see, or smell, or touch. She could hear though. She heard Rex's desperate calls, pleading for freedom. She had started running, trying to find him. Trying, but ultimately failing.

She'd woken up in a slow fashion. There are a couple of ways to wake up from a dream or a nightmare. In this case, she woke from the nightmare over a long period of time, unaware of anything, only able to watch. For her it was the most horrid; she couldn't tell whether she was awake or asleep. Her nightmare world had entered the real world. And it had scared her. Abby had barely spoken a word to anyone that day, hardly even Stephen, who had arrived at her house to see if she was alright.

The next morning she had woken with tears plastered to her face, and she had been lying on the floor next to her bed. She couldn't remember her dream from that night. And for that, she was grateful. She didn't want to remember a dream that had been able to make her wake up with tear tracks down her face. She brooded and sulked that whole day, not knowing what her nightmare had been, but also knowing it had something to do with Helen.

Helen had taken Rex. And Abby hadn't been able to protect him. And so she had sulked; imagining all the things she could have done to prevent Rex's kidnapping. Abby had known that everyone was worried about her, but she couldn't help it. _She _was worried about Rex.

On the third night, she had dreamt something that completely terrified her. She had been standing near the shadowy place. And she had been fully aware. It was one of those dreams that seemed real, and that you could be in control of. She could see the shadows waver and flicker, and faces glimmer out of it. There was her father, leering at her like he had done so many years ago. And there was her boss, the boss that had died when the futuristic predator had wreaked havoc around London. Her boss had a twisted snarl of rage and accusation on his face, as if blaming Abby for his death.

It was at that point where Abby had turned around, grief evident in her posture. Behind her, Abby saw Helen, drenched in blood, holding Rex by the tail. Helen glanced up at her, slowly, blood dripping from her eyes in a gruesome fashion. Abby closed her eyes, horrified. When she opened them again, Helen had faded into the shadows. How did Abby know that if she wasn't watching? She could hear Rex screeching for help.

She tried to run to Rex, through the shadows, not caring if the shadows terrified her. But as she neared, the shadow-face that resembled her father pushed her roughly back. She fell over, rolling to lessen the blow. She stood up again, trembling slightly with frustration and concern. She ran forward again, and again she was pushed back. She tried and tried, but failed. She couldn't get through.

Abby had then given a small cry of grief and rage, and collapsed to her knees, bowing her head with defeat. It was then that she heard something that made her start, shocked and surprised. "Abby…"

She glanced behind her. Somehow, Helen had returned. And Rex was there too. "Abby…"

She looked to her left. "Stephen?"

Stephen's head was down, making it impossible for Abby to see what was wrong. Then he looked up, and Abby gasped. Stephen had looked _terrible_. Dried blood was crusted where one of his eyes should have been, and his other eye was squinting at her through a huge bruise. Bright red blood was dripping down his nose from a deep-looking cut on his forehead. "Abby…" he spoke again, red froth bubbling from his mouth as he did so.

"What did she do to you?" Abby cried in concern and fear. She turned to look at Helen. "What did you do to him?"

Helen had glared at her, eyes blazing so fiercely that Abby shrank back, cowed. "Go to that place, and I won't kill him," Helen told her.

"What place?" Abby shouted. "What place? Tell me and I'll go!"

"The place of shadows," Helen had said, "The place you fear."

Abby gave a desperate nod and scrambled back to enter the shadowy world. Only problem- it was no longer there. In its place was a forest, one that she vaguely recognised as the Forest of Dean. She looked in every direction possible, turning her head from side to side in what could be considered as a frenzied manner.

She could feel Helen's eyes boring a hole into her back, and she stiffened instinctively. "What are you waiting for?" Helen growled.

"I-I can't find it! Where is it?" Abby had been frantic, stumbling over her words.

"Not my problem," was Helen's sharp retort.

Abby continued scrambling around, trying with all her might to find the place that was eluding her. "Where is it?" she repeated, "Where? Where is it?"

Helen's voice had stopped her in her tracks. "Time's up."

Abby had cried out in disbelief, watching Helen bring up her knife and stab Stephen through the heart. Blood began to pour towards her like a river, too much blood to be real. But it still smelt, still _tasted_ like blood, and she had screamed.

And then she had woken up, sweat mingling with the tears running down her face. She had sat up, hands over her head, wildly sobbing. Stephen had come in then, and comforted her. She had tried to show that she was okay; that she didn't need help all the time; that she could look after herself.

She told him what happened in her dream, but toned it down enough so it didn't sound as bad as it really was. To her embarrassment though, she couldn't stop the tears from falling. She had fallen asleep soon after that, mentally exhausted.

The next morning Abby had woken up groggy, which had surprised her because she had been getting used to waking up screaming. She had realised that she was lying on someone when she moved her hand underneath her head resulting in a muffled protest and a half-hearted swipe at the offending hand. She had jumped off the bed, shocked, and Stephen had opened one bleary eye, sleepily mumbling out words full of complete and utter nonsense. And then to her great surprise, he had reached out and pulled her towards him, making her fall with a small squeal on top of him. Every time Abby had tried to struggle out Stephen's grip had become iron, so she had given up and laid her head back on his chest. They had fallen back asleep together, not willing to listen to the beams of light trying to wake them.

It had dawned on Abby, when Stephen had left, that she hadn't had any more dreams the previous night. And it had continued; Abby hadn't dreamt of blood, or gore, or Rex, or Helen. She _had_, however, dreamt about Stephen. Not that she was going to tell anyone about it.

She blinked, suddenly forced out of her musing because, she noticed, Helen's brown eyes were staring daggers at her. It was said that eyes were the window to the soul; to Abby, this seemed true. Helen's eyes were brown pools of frustration, loneliness, _happiness_ and some other things that she couldn't identify. She shivered, abruptly realising that she wanted nothing to do with Helen. Nothing. At all. Ever.

Abby closed her eyes, and reopened them as a sharp glare. Helen narrowed her eyes with something akin to acceptance, and turned around, facing the gang.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Follow me," Helen, without requiring a reply, turned and started making her way down on the white sandy beach. Nick and Connor started moving forward, Nick running forward and catching up with Helen immediately. Abby wondered, not for the first time, how far Nick would go to be with Helen, just one last time.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump and spin around, hands rising automatically to defend her. In return, Stephen raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Sorry," Abby muttered, hands falling to her side limply.

Stephen stared at her for several seconds, and Abby looked down, not wanting to be scrutinised. She looked up again as Stephen hadn't said anything, and she gave a start of surprise when she saw Stephen's expression. Why was he _worried_? Was he concerned for her? Or did he think Helen was going to betray them yet again?

Her mental question was answered when Stephen spoke, "Are you okay, Abby?"

She nodded without speaking, eyes blazing with determination and understanding. She knew the real question- should Abby return home? And her answer- _no __**way**_. She was not going back to her time. She was going to stay here, with Helen if she had to, and get Rex back. She wasn't going to wimp out.

Stephen gazed at her, trying to see some hint of resolve fading. When he didn't see any, he gave a small inclination of his head. "Tell me if there's anything wrong, alright?"

"Alright," Abby replied, knowing this time Stephen needed a verbal answer.

"Oi!" Connor's voice echoed around her and Stephen. "Are you two having a moment or something? 'Cos I don't like walking for long periods of time, so hurry up!" As if to confirm his statement, he began a sneezing fit, and Abby remembered that he had allergies.

She looked at Stephen, amusement shining in her eyes. "Whoops," she whispered.

Stephen grinned at her, and Abby was startled- a good kind of startled- to see that the smile reached his eyes. She hadn't seen a smile quite like that on Stephen's face before, and it made her shiver with glee and happiness and another emotion she couldn't quite place.

She was about to grab Stephen's hand; but she held back. Not yet. It didn't seem right. Abby beckoned for him to follow her back to the group, and that was exactly what he did.

Nearing the group, Abby made out the words of one confused Conner Temple. It seemed Abby and Stephen arrived for the start of the conversation.

"Why did we end up here? Wasn't the anomaly at the football field for the anomaly-playgroup?"

Helen nodded towards Connor. "We went through to this place after that other place. Didn't you notice the tiny shift in direction?"

Abby piped up. "Yeah, it was like a car turning a corner."

Helen looked at Abby, and Abby glanced down, seeing once again the Helen of her terrifying dreams. Helen turned away again, and Abby relaxed.

"Tethys Sea, right? We're in the Jurassic, aren't we?" Nick asked.

Helen nodded again. "To be precise, the late Jurassic. The Tithonian stage"

"Cool. I've always wanted to see the Jurassic," Connor breathed. "'Cos of the movie, you know? Jurassic Park? Loved that movie." Connor seemed to think for a second before saying, "I really want to see Jurassic Park IV. Do you reckon we could go to the future and watch it?" This question was directed at Helen.

Instead of answering, Helen glanced at Nick. "Is he stupid?"

Three voices rose. "No!" Stephen, Abby and Nick replied simultaneously. Abby knew it was because they didn't want to appear weak in front of Helen. The four of them, and Claudia, were a group, and Helen wasn't about to take that away.

Connor looked up. "Huh?"

Stephen whacked Connor over the head. "Idiot!"

But being a group didn't mean no bantering. The bantering was just what Abby needed. It was like nothing had ever happened, nothing had gone wrong. It was all just normal- well, normal for them. Forgetting about Helen for the moment, she joined in the light hearted argument with the men.

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They walked for most of the day.

It was late in the afternoon when Helen finally said they could set up camp. Stephen began to pitch his tent, before realising that he wouldn't sleep in it unless it was raining. He loved the outdoors. The environment- nature- was excellent. And this place was untainted, _pure_. It made him, for the first time he could remember, fully relax. And he loved it.

He stamped in the tent pegs with his feet, and fastened the ropes securely around the pegs. He grinned with amusement when he heard Connor demanding Nick's help amongst a flurry of sneezes.

Finishing his tent in record time, he leant back, working the muscles in his back, then looked at the area they had decided to camp in. If the first view of the Tethys Sea was beautiful and 'Wow' material, then this was nothing short of _majestic_.

The group had camped on a higher ground level, not a small cliff, but almost like a tiny hill overlooking the water. The hill was situated almost like a jetty would be, sticking out from the mainland like the stick of a lollypop. On all sides, except the back, there was blue, glittering water. They had even spotted ancient marine creatures darting through the waters. The water stretched out in all directions in front of them, completely taking over the horizon. And the sky in the horizon was made up of beautiful purple, pink and orange glows, making the whole scene seem completely unrealistic- it was too nice.

Stephen sat down on the tip of the hill, ignoring the noises from around him, and focusing on the natural wonder around him. This was why he had dedicated his life to the environment. To preserve _this_. The wonder that could not be replicated, the wonder that could not be properly explained. It was just nature, and that was all Stephen needed to know.

He had no idea how long he sat there, but when he turned, Abby was beside him, staring up at the sky above them. Blue eyes met blue eyes, and Stephen smiled at her. Abby smiled back, happily, calmly.

They both glanced back at the incredible sunset, and Stephen felt Abby move closer and rest her head on his shoulder. He gave a tiny grin, and returned the favor, resting his head on Abby's.

Both didn't want the moment to end.

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But it did, as good moments always did.

It wasn't spoiled badly, Stephen knew- it had just been Nick calling them to eat. Abby had fallen asleep, and Stephen gently shook her awake. "Abby…"

Abby's blue eyes opened slowly, and Stephen could see the grogginess in them. "C'mon, Abby. Time for tea."

Abby yawned, pushing her face deeper into his shoulder, and closed her eyes. "No."

Stephen's eyes gleamed. "Abby… don't make me carry you," he threatened.

One blue eye cracked open in disbelief. "You wouldn't."

Stephen scooped her up with grace, making her give a squeal in protest. He carried her about five steps before Abby managed to squirm out of his grip and land on solid ground. They walked back to the others slowly, not willing to return back to normal life.

When they reached Nick, Connor and Helen, Stephen grabbed both plastic plates that were left and handed one to Abby. She took it with a smile, and sat down; although Stephen noticed that she sat as far away from Helen as possible.

Stephen followed Abby, feeling a sudden chill as brown eyes bored into his back. He turned his head; Helen was gazing at him with something akin to jealousy, or maybe anger. Helen then glared at Abby, this time, with outright envy. Stephen moved his head to the side, gaining Helen's attention, before glaring at her with such ferocity that it would make a gorgonopsid seem tame. He then sat down next to Abby in a show of firm support. Helen looked away, engaging in a conversation with Nick.

Stephen gave a snort of annoyance. He had forgotten just how much he hated Helen. Funny how he once would have supported her. That had all changed when Helen used the one-off thing to hurt Nick, and, to some extent, Abby. After that, Stephen had realised just how _cruel_ Helen could really be. And he was stupid enough not to realise it until it was too late.

"Hey, Stephen?" A voice broke into his thoughts like light through darkness.

Stephen looked up, seeing the concerned face of Abby Maitland mere inches away from his. Abby was staring at him with concern in her eyes; that was all. She didn't look at him like Helen did; Abby was caring. Helen wasn't.

"I'm fine," Stephen answered her unasked question.

Abby nodded, and returned to her food. Once again, Stephen was shocked at the amount of trust Abby placed in him. It wasn't that he hadn't been trusted before; but this was different. He couldn't explain it. It was almost like… like they could read each other's minds- or at least skim over the top.

He returned to his meal as well, eating the food with gusto, wanting to be rid of Helen, but not wanting to leave Abby, Nick and Connor.

It was obvious to everyone sitting in a circle that someone could cut the tension in the air with one well-thrust knife. Except for Connor.

"So…you said you'd tell us about the anomalies, right?" Connor started, directing the question at Helen. "Can you tell us now?"

Stephen sighed softly, relieved. At least Connor didn't say something completely stupid.

Helen watched Connor, making him shift, nervous, at the scrutiny. But still, in a very Connor-like fashion, he stared right on back at Helen, almost daring her to reply.

"Fine," Helen said, eyes suddenly relaxed, and she leant back. Stephen knew she was thinking _'the ball's in my court now'_.

"Well…" Nick began, "How did you learn where each anomaly would show up? And where they'd go?"

Helen grinned. "The magnetic field. Each anomaly has a magnetic field. You knew that, right?"

Stephen nodded angrily. Now she was doubting their intelligence.

"Well, each magnetic field differs. Not much, but just enough that you can tell which stage in the Earth's history you are. It took me a while to work out how to fully benefit from it, though."

Connor bobbed his head. "That makes sense. The further back or forward in time, the greater the energy requirements. But you'd have to figure out just where you are before you could calculate the next jump."

Helen continued, "I was trying to find the future anomalies; so I could add stages onto the earth's history that haven't happened yet."

Nick frowned. "What's the point of that, Helen? You can record all this fantastic stuff, but no-one's going to know!"

Helen paused, appearing to think deeply, then told him, "Someday people will find out. I'll be there when they do."

Stephen's eyes narrowed. Helen was leaving something out, hiding something. Of course, she always did that, but something was different this time. Helen was hiding something, yes, but why?

"You haven't told us where the anomalies pop up," Abby stated softly, while looking down.

Stephen shifted closer to Abby in support. He could tell that, even though Abby had only said one thing, it was sapping all her energy.

"And I'm not going to tell you that," Helen replied.

"Why not?" Nick asked, confused, and irritated.

"Because then you'd have no need to seek my help." And then Helen smiled.

Stephen's mouth opened in shock. Was Helen really that selfish that she wouldn't tell them because she didn't want to be ignored? Helen really didn't care.

"You could save lives," Nick told her, voice raised slightly.

"I know who is going to die, and who is going to live, Nick. I'm an explorer, not a life-saver."

"You're a scientist! You help figure things out so the world can benefit from it!" Nick replied, lashing out as she was.

"What's the point? The human race _will_ die out one day, and the world won't notice! The world will just keep rotating, keep moving. It won't show remorse!"

Nick's eyes softened, seeing something in Helen's eyes that Stephen must have missed. "You would support a planet over your own kind?" Nick whispered.

"I'd support the life of every species, not just my own kind!" Helen hissed, voice lowered to match Nick's tone.

Stephen watched as Nick turned away from Helen, and saw the look of unconcealed hurt upon Nick's face. Stephen turned to glare at Helen, and she glared back just as fiercely. Helen had no idea, did she? She didn't care how much she hurt the people she was once close to. As much as Stephen understood her argument, he'd never betray his own kind. And that, he realised, was all that mattered. You could be loyal, or you could not. It was your choice. But then, why would Helen offer her help at all?

Stephen guessed it was because she needed help with something, something big. And that something was all that was stopping him from walking up to her and yelling at her. Helen was doing this for a reason. Stephen intended to find out what that reason was.

Nick had moved away from the group, opting to go to his tent and start preparing for sleep, even though it was still early. After hurriedly finishing his food, Connor followed Nick's example, and began to set himself up for bed.

Stephen waited for Abby to finish before getting up and leading her back to their tents. She was tired, he could tell. The way her brows furrowed and eyes lightened in colour were dead giveaways.

Stephen could feel Abby's eyes on him as he pulled his mattress and sleeping back from his tent and rested them about a meter away from the tents. He wanted to sleep outside, in the fresh air, the _ancient_ air. He pondered for a moment on the differences between modern life and this prehistoric life. The air was different, sweeter even, because of the raised amounts of oxygen in the air. Humans had gotten used to contaminated air, polluted air. So this air was better than any fresh air he had previously experienced.

The camp felt tense, but Stephen was still relaxed. It was hard for him to explain, but it was something to do with the atmosphere. The plants and creatures, they all lived in synchronized harmony, something that humans probably never would be able to achieve. Suddenly Stephen could understand with perfect clarity why Helen would want to live out here.

It was magnificent, but it still wasn't _home_. Home was where you had to wake up, extremely groggy, and get ready to go to work. Home was where you had invested your life, and Stephen had invested his life to _protecting_ the environment; not living in it. He was perfectly satisfied with his apartment- because the apartment represented who he _was_. Maybe for Helen it wasn't enough sitting at home and watching television, but Helen still didn't understand the reason everyone around her lived. They lived so future generations would. Simple as that.

"Stephen," Abby said softly.

Stephen looked up, broken out of his thoughts. "Yeah?"

"Could I…umm…sleep here too?" Abby was pointing to the ground beside Stephen's bed.

Stephen's eyes softened. "Sure you can."

Abby immediately relaxed. "Thanks," she breathed.

"No problem."

Abby left, then returned lugging her mattress and sleeping bag. She placed them gently next to his, and sat down on it. Stephen followed, and sat down on his. They didn't speak; both were too busy contemplating the day's events.

Stephen was broken rather abruptly out of his thoughts when Connor sneezed. He opened his eyes, unaware that he had closed them, and jumped. Connor was sitting right in front of him, legs crossed, and face tilted towards Stephen.

"Connor…" Stephen had no idea what Connor wanted.

"Just wanted to ask you something," Connor paused before saying, "I can ask you something, right?"

Stephen rolled his eyes. "Yes, you can ask me something."

Connor paused again, obviously looking for the right words. Stephen turned when Abby made her presence known by shifting into a sitting position next to both men.

"You can ask him," Abby encouraged.

"I don't quite know how to say this, but, well…"

"Just ask!" Stephen was getting very curious now.

"Do you like Jurassic Park?"

Stephen sagged in disbelief. "That's your question?!" he said incredulously.

"No," Connor snorted, then sobered. "Why do you think Helen wants us all here? Why not just Nick?"

Stephen shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know."

Connor nodded in reply, as if he had been expecting that answer. Connor hauled himself up, thanked Stephen, albeit gruffly, and walked back towards his tent.

Stephen reached underneath his pillow, and brought out his eye mask. He always slept better when he couldn't see anything. If he was sleeping out with nature, he couldn't get to sleep without it. Maybe it was because he loved nature too much, and all he could think of was protecting it. Maybe he just thought too much.

He placed the mask over his eyes, and laid his head on his arms. "Night, Abby." Maybe it was early, but he didn't care.

"Night, Stephen," was the soft reply.

Maybe it was early, but Stephen had the feeling that they'd need all the energy they could get for tomorrow.

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TBC…

_A/N_

_I'm sorry, once again. I suppose I'd better aim to get chapters out faster, but reality keeps getting in the way. Oh well. I won't let reality stop me._

_Anyway, I was stuck on one sentence in this chapter, and because of that I couldn't write anything else. It drove me mad. But when I finished and posted the first chapter of yet another story I realised that I should probably finish this chapter._

_And so, after many, many hours, I have. I'm not sure if I'm completely happy with it, but I don't know what to change. Hmm._

_My author notes are increasing in size, so I reckon I'd better shorten them. Thanks to all those who put this story on their story alert lists, thanks to all those that put this story onto their favourite story lists._

_Thanks to all that reviewed the previous chapter (this story is getting more attention than I thought possible, and for that I'm quite happy)._

_Thankyou to __**lov3is4lif3 **__for putting me on your favourite author list and author alert list. Hehe. I'm happy._

_But seriously, if anyone finds any really stupid mistakes this chapter, tell me. I don't know why I'm not satisfied, but it's enough to keep me on edge._

_Oh, and the magnetic field idea for the anomalies is purely my idea. It's not my best idea, granted, but it was all I could come up with late at night. Things are going to get more interesting…_

_And in this chapter is a hint of what's really going on, so hope you all paid close attention._

_Please review. I'll try my best to get the next chapter out sooner (probably empty words now, I know), but most likely I won't be able to. Feel free to get annoyed._

_SnowFox3_


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